ST. LOUIS, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Kereos, a biotechnology company developing targeted therapeutics and molecular imaging agents for the treatment and detection of cancer and cardiovascular disease, announced today that Michael Loberg, Ph.D., has joined the Company's Board of Directors.

Dr. Loberg is currently President and CEO of NitroMed and also serves on the Board of Directors for Advanced Magnetics. In 2003 Dr. Loberg oversaw and led NitroMed's initial public offering process. Prior to NitroMed, Dr. Loberg spent nearly 20 years with the Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) organization, most recently as President, BMS Oncology & Immunology. He also served there as President, BMS Primary Care division; President, BMS Northern Europe; President, BMS Specialty Pharmaceuticals; President, Squibb Diagnostics; and Vice President of R&D. Prior to BMS, Dr. Loberg served as Associate Professor in the University of Maryland Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine. He holds a BS from Trinity College and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis.

"I am delighted that Dr. Loberg has agreed to bring to Kereos his many years of experience in cardiovascular and oncology drug development," said Robert "Al" Beardsley, Ph.D., CEO of Kereos. "As we advance our lead cardiovascular and cancer candidates into the clinic beginning next year, his experience at NitroMed and Bristol-Myers Squibb will be invaluable to the company."

Kereos also announced that Dr. Beardsley will present Tuesday, May 4, 2004 at 11:45 a.m. central time in the Lindell Ballroom A/B during the Biotechnology Industry Organization's BIO Mid-America Venture Forum. The conference will take place May 3-5 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis.

About Kereos

Kereos develops products designed to provide more effective treatment and detection of cancer and cardiovascular disease, the first of which is expected to enter clinical trials in 2005. In addition to advancing its pipeline of therapeutic and imaging candidates independently, Kereos is committed to partnering with leading pharmaceutical and imaging companies. To date, it has formed collaborations with Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging for the development and commercialization of cardiovascular disease magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agents and with Philips Medical Systems for the development of molecular imaging systems. For more information, visit Kereos' website at http://www.kereos.com/.